It is significant for its role in development of the Star Valley area of Wyoming. It was funded by the New Deal's Rural Electrification Administration program, which began in 1935. The powerplant operated from 1938 to 1967, serving a wide area; it was made redundant by cheap power from the Bonneville Dam project. The powerplant was in rare good condition for a facility of its era, including all of its power generation machinery, as of the NRHP listing.[2]